Coupling device for street-cars



(No Model.)

F. A. PIERCE.

COUPLING DEVICE FOR STREET CARS.

No. 388,506. Patented Aug. 28,1888.

Whine 5x651- lo-Lllhognpher. Washing IINITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

F. ARTHUR PIERCE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COUPLING DEVICE FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,506. dated August28, 1888.

Application filed January 9, 1888. Serial No. 260,197. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, F. ARTHUR PIERCE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Coupling Device,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in coupling devices, particularlysuch as are designed for use with streetcars, and has for its object toprovide a convenient coupling device which can be used for attaching thedoubletree to the car when horses are en1ployed,and which may at thesame time serve to attach the car to the cable or other car when thestreet-car is switched from a horse-car line to a cable line. Theseobjects I accomplish by means of the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is a plan View of thecoupling-piece attached to the car,with parts shown in dotted lines.Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same coupling-piece with the coupler inposition and the coupler shown in dotted lines as it is being introducedinto the coupling-piece. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the coupler. Figs. 4.and 5 are reduced detail views of a modified form of coupler adapted tocouple the car to a cable car.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the drawings.

A is the inner end of the coupling-piece, which is swiveled to the axleor body or other suitable portion of the car. B is a supporting plate,which forms the opposite end of said coupling-piece.

C is the enlarged elevated central portion of the coiiplingpiece, whichis provided with the slot D, opening upon the supporting-plate B, andthe transverse slot E, which terminates below in an enlarged cavity, F,provided with the retreating walls G and II H.

J is a doubletree,which passes through the box portion K of the coupler.The coupler has at one end the eye L and at the other the projectingportion M, provided with the head N. This head N is laterally enlargedand adapted to rest in the cavity G, its points 0 0 bearing against thewalls H H. The part M and head N are narrow vertically, so as to admitof introduction through the slot E, as indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 2.

P is a modified form of coupler, having the central eye, It, and theheads S S, the latter being shaped substantially the same as the head N.

A hinged covering may be placed over the slot E to protect againt snow,rain, and the like.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: The couplingpieceis suitably attached to a car or vehicle, and it may be swiveled, asindicated above, if desired. Its eularged central portion is shaped, asshown, so as to leave the slot E for the introduction of the head N, theslot D for the part M to rest in, and the cavity G for the head N torest in. The plate B supports the coupler and doubletree J, upon whichit is attached. It is obvious, of course, that this coupler may besecured to the donbletree J in any convenient manner, and that the saidcoupler may be attached to the power-supplying device in any convenientway. I have shown it as applied to a doubletree, and in that case itsoperation is very convenient. When the team is backed into position infront of the car or carriage to which the coupling-piece is attached,thedriver Of the car may, with the hook .which is commonly employed,seizethe eye L and bring the coupler into the position shown in Fig. 2. Hereit is allowed to descend until the head occupies the cavity G. Thedriver then releases his hold upon the eye L and permits the parts todrop into the position shown in full lines. In this position the points0 O bear against the walls H H,while at the same time the head N, byreason of its peculiar shape, cannot escape from said cavity. If, now,the horse-car is to be in conjunction with the cable system, it is onlynecessary to provide a coupler like that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and toattach to the cable car a coupling-piece somewhat similar to the oneshown herein, but with the slot E of the same width as the head N. Inthis case one of the heads S is inserted into the coupling-piece on thehorse-car and the other end is allowed to fall into theenlarged cavityin the coupling-piece. In this manner, by the use of a coupler similarto that shown in Fig. 2 with the doubletrees, the use of acoupling-piece like that shown in Fig. 2 on all the horse-cars, the useof a similar coupling-piece, but with a wider slot, E, on the cable car,and

the use of couplings like those shown in Figs. I M, adapted to rest inthe vertical slot, and an 4 and 5 with the cable car, I am able toproeye on the back of said coupler, whereby it 15 vide a convenientmethod for coupling vehimay be elevated into a vertical position, socles, and especially for the coupling of street that its head may beinserted into the narrow cars in combined horse and cable systems. slot,as described, and a supporting-plate pro- Having thus described myinvention, What jecting from said coupling-piece and adapted Iclaim,anddesire to secureby means ofLetters to support the coupler when the sameis in 20 Patent, is as follows: position.

In a coupling device for vehicles, the com- December 28, 1887. binationof a coupling-piece having an inter- F. ARTHUR PIERCE. nal cavity with anarrow slot above and a vertical slot in front with a coupler providedwith I Vitnesses:

FRANCIS W. PARKER, CORA L. CADWALLADER.

a head to rest in said cavity, a narrow portion, 1

